So That I Can Feel The Rain
by HeyMcFly
Summary: You should listen to the warnings of angels. When one tells you all of creation will be hunting you, it's only a matter of time before something, or someone, finds you. Sam and Dean Winchester, Female OCs, and a few other angelic surprises.
1. Chapter 1

This started out as the brothers' story, but took on a life of it's own, and became the women's story. Which I'm happy about. Supernatural needs more women around.

This is not a romantic story, so don't let the description fool you.

The timeline of this is between Swap Meat and The Song Remains The Same, so there are spoilers for everything up until then.

Please feel free to review. I appreciate them, I really do.

Alas, the Winchesters are not mine. But don't we all wish they were our own? And I borrowed the title from an amazing song.

Rating is T, for some language and violence, but there is nothing here that you wouldn't see in the series.

Enjoy! (Please.)

****************

It was a dark and stormy night. At least, that's how all good horror stories start out. This night wasn't much darker or stormier than most, but it took place in a dark part of human kinds history, which makes it important.

A sleek black SUV pulled into the parking lot of the neighborhood bar. It didn't fit in with the pickup trucks, and beat up sedans parked there, but then, neither did the 1967 Chevy Impala. The driver and passenger sat staring out at the crowded lot, watching the rain fall down the windshield.

"You know this will only work if we beat them here," the driver turns to her passenger, huffing slightly.

The woman in the passenger's seat, a tall, stunning blond, just shrugs, staring out the window.

The driver turns the key in the ignition, puts the SUV in drive, and eases it out onto the street. "We don't find them, we don't get paid. And if we don't get paid, we can't afford your shopping habits."

"Alex, please do not lecture me," Darcey said, her slight French accent becoming more pronounced in her irritation. "It has been a rough day. We will catch them tomorrow. Or the next. You know they have been careless lately."

"I'm sorry, Darcey. I just get anxious, you know? We're so close."

**********

"Dean, let's get out of here. It's getting worse out, and you're hammered." Sam Winchester tries to pry the beer from his brother's hand. The drinking had gotten much worse, especially since Carthage, MO. He missed Ellen and Jo, too, but Dean was taking it harder than either he or Bobby would have believed.

"Leave me 'lone," Dean mumbles into the beer. He'd lost count somewhere around the twelfth, but he could still think. And the things he thought were not the thoughts he wanted to have. Every time he closed his eyes, even for a moment, he would see the explosion. What a metaphor for their life. Everything, just all up in flames. He raises the glass, and finishes the beer.

"Dean, come on. I'm tired. We've been driving for days. I just want to sleep."

Dean raises his hand to catch the bartender's eye, but instead lowers it, seeing something in Sam's face. He rises to his feet, gripping the table. Sam watches Dean's knuckles go white as he braces himself, then tosses Sam the keys, and walk out the bar door. Sam thinks to himself, he didn't know his brother better, he'd almost believe he was OK.

Another day, another motel room. Darcey Laroque watches her best friend in the mirror, while she brushes out her long hair. Alex was a ball of nervous energy, pacing back and forth across the room. She always got like this, right before they approached their target, so Darcey knew they really were close. As she moves to finish applying her makeup, she studies Alex a little closer. Alex wasn't beautiful, like Darcey knew she was; she'd been told that since she was little, so much so that she sometimes was tired of hearing it. "You're hair is like gold. You're eyes are like sapphires..." All the same old fairy tale crap. But if she would take just a minute or two, and take care of herself, she would be pretty, in the classic sense of the word. "Is that really what you are wearing?" she asks, standing up and shaking out the dark blue dress, and fluffing out her hair.

Alexandra Miller turns her focused gaze on Darcey. She spent most of what they made on clothes, and other accessories, but she had to admit, it worked. Her dress was the perfect shade to match her eyes; the dark blue of the sky at twilight, after a heavy rain. Alex looked down at her faded jeans and vintage t-shirt. "It'll work. Let's go."

"No way. Not before you let me at least apply a little make up. You have such beautiful eyes, Alex. Use them."

Alex shakes her head, tossing her dark brown hair, pulled back in a pony tail. "You're the beauty. I'm the brains. That's why this operation works. Now let's get out of here. We want to beat them to the bar tonight."

"How do you know that's where they'll go?"

"A little birdie told me."

***********

"We should go back to Bobby's, regroup."

Dean Winchester shakes his head at his brother. Sam was right; they had been driving for days, with no real end in sight. But ever since they had learned the colt wouldn't kill Lucifer, that wasn't much they could do, he couldn't think straight. And the trip to help their dad's friend Martin? What a disaster that had been. But if they were going to make it back to Bobby's, they had to get gas. And to get gas, they needed money, which Dean had drunk away two nights ago. And that was why they were going into yet another bar.

"Do you want to play the drunk, or should I?" Dean asks his brother.

"Depends on the crowd" Sam says, as they walk through the front doors. Both brothers scan the bar room, taking in the clientele, the lay out, the exits. Sam notices the lack of patrons; Dean notices the two girls sitting in a corner. The brunette looked like she belonged here, but the blond was way out place. He punches his brother in the side, nodding in the girl's direction.

"You have no chance." Sam says, raising his eyebrow and shaking his head.

"What's the matter Sammy? Think I'm off my game?" Dean smirks at his brother, saying loudly "Bartender, a round for the ladies."

"And how do you plan to pay for that round?" Sam whispers.

"Like we always do."

"Then maybe you failed to notice the lack of pool players?"

"Dude, don't worry about it."

"No, thank you." Both brothers are startled by the crisp French accent that carries across the mostly empty bar, turning together to stare at Darcey and Alex.

"Excuse me?" Dean asks, in disbelief.

"Pardon, was that in French? Sometimes I forget myself. I said 'No, thank you'". Darcey waves the bartender back, turning to continue her conversation with Alex.

"I understood you the first time, sweetheart. What I don't understand is why you said 'no'".

Alex sighs, blinking the most amazing pair of brown eyes Dean had ever seen. On second thought, she didn't belong here, either. "She said 'no' because we aren't interested in your round. Now if you'll excuse us?"

"Oh, I see. You aren't interested in me. I get it. So, you two are a couple? Because I can get into that." Dean smirks.

Bringing herself up to her full 5 feet and 5 inches, Alex gets into Dean's face. "We are not a couple, not that there is anything wrong with that. What we are is not interested in you. Now, please leave us alone. We are waiting for someone."

"You're loss. Come on Sammy." Dean walks out the front door, and climbs into the Impala. Sam turns to the women, shrugging. Embarrassment is written across his face.

"I'm really sorry. He gets like that."

As they watch Sam Winchester walk out the front door, Alex sits back down, with a small satisfied smile on her face. "That went rather well, don't you think?"

"Poor Winchesters. They do not know what is coming, do they?" Darcey returns the smile.


	2. Chapter 2

More rain. Yet another Winchester metaphor.

At least, that's how Sam started to view the weather. There were so many strange things going on with it, more so than usual. Snow in Texas, earthquakes in North Carolina. And more rain. The bridge out of town was out, so they were stuck here another night. And Dean was still going on about the "chicks" at the bar.

"I mean, I'm adorable. Look at me Sammy? I'm the best option for a good time those chicks had in this god forsaken town."

"Dean, give it a rest, will you? You don't even sound like yourself anymore." Sam puts down the book he's reading, a study on Revelations, and stares hard at his brother. "In fact, you haven't been yourself since we helped Martin. What's wrong with you?"

"I don't want to talk about it. Let's go." Dean grabs his keys, throwing on his father's leather jacket. The smell of it, the deep rich scent of old leather, worn for years, always calmed him down, made him think of home.

"What? Where are we going?"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"And tonight we go with flirty, yes?" Darcey twirls the beer bottle back and forth in her hands. When dressing for this evening, she had gone with subtle. Their first meeting, she always tried to blow the men away with her looks. Whatever would most make her stand out in a crowd. Just like Alex downplayed herself, trying to blend in. This evening found them both in dark jeans, Darcey in a pale green, loose fitting top, and Alex in a flattering black tank.

"No. Tonight you go with flirty. I get to remain my tough as nails self." Scanning the crowd, Alex thought to herself, this was a good evening. The crowd was fairly heavy for a rain soaked Friday night, and there were enough women to keep Alex and Darcey under the radar. And if there was any trouble, they'd be able to easily duck out the back door.

"You enjoy this part of the job, don't you Alex?"

"I enjoy a job well done."

"You know, they will probably figure we are up to something. I do not think they are as dumb as they appear."

"We're counting on that, remember? You remember why we're here, don't you?"

"I did. But, what if it all goes wrong? What if they 'zig' instead of 'zag'?" Her accent was becoming heavier with each word.

"Then you and I will work it out. Just like we always do."

Alex knew what Darcey was worried about. She was having the same thoughts. But on paper, this was such an easy job. Then again, the job that had killed Darcey's husband had also seemed easy. That job had the same set up; it worked in most circumstances. But the man they were after had pulled a gun on Darcey, and Brian had jumped in between them. Alex had finished the job for her friends, but after watching her husband die in her arms, Darcey was never the same. She had become the ice maiden. Nothing could crack her cool calm. For her to be worried, worried Alex.

"Show time," Darcey whispers, unfolding her 6 foot tall frame from the small table, and disappearing into the crowd.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

"So, that was double or nothing, right? And you just scratched on the eight ball."

"Know how to play..." Sam slurs at the skinny man standing in front of him. "Wanna go again."

"Your loss." Skinny, that's how Sam thinks of him, racks the balls up, lines up his shot, and makes a weak break. It was nearly impossible to hustle pool when the locals were so bad. The first game Sam had to sink Skinny's balls, claiming to be confused as to whether he was solids or stripes. Meanwhile, Dean was probably in a corner with some local girl. Either that, or drowning his sorrows in beer.

While he mentally plots Skinny's demise, he catches the faint "chink" of quarters being dropped on the table, followed by "I believe the term is, 'I've got next', no?" He turns to stare in to the sapphire blue eyes of Darcey.

"Aww, honey. You don't want to get into this. This is a man's game." Skinny laughs at Darcey, missing his shot.

"It would appear to be your turn, Mr...?"

Sam can't take his eyes off Darcey. He was tall, so he wasn't used to staring into a woman's eyes at such a close angle. He can hear Skinny mumbling, and showing off to his friends. "Richards. My name is Sam Richards."

"It is nice to meet you, Sam Richards. I will wait right here for you to beat your skinny friend," Darcey says with a wink.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Where's you French friend?" Dean plops down in the chair next to Alex, handing her a beer. Alex looks at the beer, then at Dean.

"Canadian."

"OK, then. Where's your Canadian friend?"

"Why do you care?"

"Look, I'm sorry. I think we got off on the wrong foot. I'm Dean...Van Halen." Normally, Dean didn't stumble when coming up with an alias. And he had used Van Halen so many times; it rolled right off his tongue. He actually wondered why no one ever called him out on it, before. But when Alex turned her dark eyes on him, it was as if all his thoughts just stopped.

"Well, Dean Van Halen, since we are being honest with each other, I'm Alexandra Hagar." Picking up the beer, and taking a sip, Alex waited, watching Dean's face for any hint of catching on to what she had just said.

"Then it would appear, Miss Alexandra Hagar, we're a perfect match," Dean replies, touching his beer to hers, taking a drink. Alex was just a little disappointed. For years they had been hearing tales about the Winchesters. Brian had even bought a couple of the Supernatural books once, after hearing about them. But the reality was a bit of a letdown; sitting next to her was a severely beaten down drunk. And that was the nicest way Alex could describe him.

"Would you excuse me, for just a moment? I need to make a phone call."

"Don't disappear on me." Dean calls after her, ordering another round of beers.

Alex slips out the back door, and into her SUV, pulling a phone from her back pocket. She presses a few buttons on speed dial, waiting for the other end to be picked up.

"We found them. My god, they're a mess. I almost feel sorry for them."

She listens to the voice, answering "I would say by the end of the weekend. It'll be good to see home for a few days." With that, she hangs up the phone, and reenters the bar.


	3. Chapter 3

Darcey watches through lowered eyelashes as Sam methodically makes shot after shot. Skinny stands there, dumbfounded, as Sam sinks the eight ball, and he hands over his money. He hadn't stood a chance against Sam, and Darcey knew that. She also knew there was a good chance she wouldn't be able to beat him, either. But then, she didn't need to beat him, just engage him for a while. She watches as Sam re-racks the balls, and lines up his shot, and wonders to herself if Alex would let her have a little fun.

She liked tall men; her husband had been taller than Sam. And she was bored. As Brian used to say, a bored Darcey was a  
dangerous Darcey. It's when she is having this thought that Sam looks up, catching the sad smile on her face. He knew the woman standing in front of him wasn't what she appeared.

"I used to love the rain," she says, walking over to take Sam's pool cue. "It washes everything away. When I was little, I would draw in chalk on the sidewalks. And the next day, they would be gone. It was like a new start." She bends down, lining up her shot, and sinking the 12 ball easily.

Sam catches Dean's eye from across the bar, and shrugs. Raising his glass in a salute to his brother, Dean mouths "that's my boy," then goes back to watching the crowd.

"What made you change your mind?" Sam asks, leaning against the wall. This was an interesting woman, not the normal barfly.

Darcey lines up her next shot, staring up at Sam across the table. "Did you know there has been twenty days of rain  
recently? I have not seen the sun in the last twenty days. The rain itself has changed my mind." She looks back down at  
the table, and takes her shot, missing by inches. She was far better than that at this game. At most games, really. But like she had just told Sam, she missed the sun. That was really the best thing about the rain. When the sun burst from the clouds, and you could see the rays of light, dancing across the sky. Brian once called them "Jesus beams", and she thought of him whenever she saw them. Which hadn't been for twenty days.

"You are familiar with the story of Noah?" she asks, handing the pool cue back to Sam. He just nods at her, going along with the conversation. "We are half way to rains of biblical proportion. God promised we would never see such storms again, and yet, I have to wonder if maybe, our time has come."

"Forgive me, but why would you tell this to a random guy in a bar?"

"You do not look very random, Sam Richards," Darcey draws out, then winks at Sam. He was confounded by her, and she knew it.

It didn't matter what Alex thought, she was going to have fun with Sam Winchester.

************

"Quick phone call," Dean offers Alex another beer as she slides in next to him, lightly brushing up against him. She takes the offered drink, and sips slowly.

"Sick friend. Just making sure he's OK." Everything that Alex and Darcey new about the Winchesters hadn't prepared them for the reality of them. For one, they were men. Not run down, been hiding for days in the back woods or lost in the streets fugitives, but healthy, well fed, could take them down with one punch, men. That was the first thing they had both noticed two nights ago. The other was that Sam and Dean were well aware of their surroundings. None of Darcey's normal tricks would work. Neither would Alex's. She thought back to the meeting, where this whole thing had started.

*************

10 days ago.

"You know, I hate these family cases. My brother is in hiding. I know he is innocent. Please help. Meanwhile, innocent little brother killed his whole family." Darcey drums on the dashboard, matching the pattern of the rain falling on the roof.

"A job is a job, Darc. And right now, we need every job we can take." Alex scans the road through the rain soaked windshield. The SUV hugged the road, which was really the only thing she liked about it. That, and the fact you could fit a body in its trunk. But it cost too much, got horrible mileage, and didn't' blend in anywhere they went. Brian had bought it for Darcey three years ago, telling her they needed a bigger car. But she refused to drive it since Brian was killed, and Alex's little sports car wouldn't handle their equipment.

"I know, Alex, but I am bored. Remember how much fun we used to have? How satisfying this used to be?" Alex just shrugs in response, and turns back to the road. The SUV hugs the next turn, when something darts out in their path.

"Holy shit!" Darcey yells, as Alex slams hard on the brakes. The vehicle comes to a skidding halt, narrowly missing a tree. "What the hell was that?"

Alex, breath coming a little hard, reaches a hand up to brush her hair out of her face. "It looked like a person."

"Did you miss them? Please tell me you missed them. I would hate to call the police on us." Darcey turns to look in the back seat, pointing a gun at a tied up, unconscious man.

"I'm sure I missed them. We would have felt something. Darcey what are you doing? Get back in here!" Alex grabs her own gun and a flashlight, and climbs out the driver's side door. "This is how all those stories start. You don't want to part of a story, do you?"

"We'll never be a story, Alex. You are too good at what you do for that to happen. I am merely covering all our bases." Darcey walks around the SUV, then takes the flashlight from Alex, and walks into the road, looking for tracks. Finding nothing, both women climb back in, and Alex puts it into reverse. "You should be more careful on nights like this."

"Would you like to drive? No? Then don't criticize me."

They make it less than a quarter of a mile down the road before the headlights pick up the image of a man, standing in a suit, in the middle of the rain. Once again, Alex is forced to slam on the brakes, only this time they are unable to stop, and the SUV slams into the man.

"Shit!" The both say at the same time, rushing out of the vehicle.

Expecting to see a dead body, or at least a much mangled body, lying in the middle of the road, they are surprised to find the man brushing his suit off, and looking at them with a self satisfied smile. Both women warily raise their guns, and take aim.

"Oh, those won't be necessary. Hmm, let's see, tall beautiful blond. You must be Darcey. And brunette with the burning eyes. That makes you Alexandra."

"Do we know you?" Alex asks, inching into the headlights, putting them at her back. If they were going to fight, she wanted to have the advantage, and blinding this man would help.

"You don't know me, but I know all about you two. It used to be three of you, right? But then your husband was killed, isn't that right, Darcey? Left you with bills to pay, and without a leader. I'm here to help with that." Zachariah stares at the two women, thinking how easy they would be to use. The blond was used to the good life, and the past six months had been hard on her. And the brunette was ruthless when it came to the guilty.

"What do you mean?" Darcey asks, her accent heavy, tinged with fear.

"Let me introduce myself, properly. Ladies, my name is Zachariah. I am an angel of the Lord. And I have a job for you."


	4. Chapter 4

Darcey and Sam were having a good time. Actually, they were having fun, and Sam hated to admit that. It felt like weeks since he'd last smiled, years since he last laughed. Darcey was witty, and engaging, and very easy on the eyes. Sam wasn't normally one to throw caution to the wind, but when Darcey mentioned the two of them leaving together, he went for it. Dean was always leaving him to hook up with some random barfly, it was Sam's turn. Besides, Dean and Darcey's friend had spent the entire night together. He'd bet dollars to donuts that Dean had convinced her to join him in their motel room.

"Give me one minute. I've got to check on my friend," Darcey whispers in Sam's ear, wandering off to make a phone call. She had noticed Alex stand up and move away from Dean, which was her signal to get Sam out the back door, and back to the only motel in town. They had a limited amount of time to make it happen.

"Hello?"

"Our room or theirs?" Darcey asks Alex.

"You take theirs. Just make sure you make it out without his brother seeing you. I'll meet you back at the motel. And Darcey, behave. I've got to go."

Darcey hangs up the phone, and checks the exit, making sure it's clear, leaning around the corner, scanning for Sam. As soon as he spots her, he heads her way.

"The lot was crowded when we arrived, so Alex parked out back. I would hate to get more wet than I need to."

"No problem. Out the back it is." Which was such a Dean move, Sam surprised himself. Darcey hands him the keys to the SUV, sliding herself into the passenger seat. When Sam lifts an eyebrow at her, she answers "I hate to drive."

******************

"I wish you wouldn't look at me like that," Dean says to Alex, startling her out of the past.

"And how exactly would you like me to look at you?" Alex asks, turning to scan the room for Darcey. Their plan for the evening had been to divide and conquer, and Darcey looked like she was enjoying herself, laughing and flirting with Sam Winchester. She turns back to Dean, blinking.

Dean shrugs. When Alex looked at him, it was like she knew every thought in his head. It didn't help that her eyes...burned, for lack of a better term. They were the darkest brown he'd ever seen, with bright amber flecks that glowed in the low bar lights. "Like you know me. I wish you wouldn't look at me like you knew me."

"I'm sorry, Dean. It was nice to meet you." Alex gathers herself, and moves to leave the bar. Dean stares dumbfounded after her. He was off his game, and he hated to admit it. An evening spent drinking with a woman, and she was walking out on him?

"Alex, wait," Dean follows Alex out of the bar, and stands staring at her under the small balcony. She turns to face him in the rain, the heavy downpour plastering her dark hair to her face and shoulders.

"Shit. My car's gone." Alex turns to her acting skills. On this type of night, she wasn't really acting. The rain was making her irritable, and she may have had one more drink than was a good idea.

"Come back inside, you'll get sick," Dean surprises himself with the comment. That was a definite Sam moment, if ever he had one.

"Darcey must have taken it," Alex walks back toward the bar. "Sometimes, I don't know what gets into her."

Dean holds the door open for her, and follows her in. Alex looked tiny, with her dark wet hair, and tank plastered to her. He couldn't help but stare; it hugged all her curves. "You've known each other for a while?" Dean takes off his jacket, draping it around her shoulders, and surprising each of them.

"Since we were 16." Alex pulls out her phone, pressing a few buttons. "Yes, I need a cab company, please. Thank you."

"I can take you home. Or where ever." Dean looks sheepish. It was last call, and the bar was thinning out. He didn't see his brother or Alex's friend, guessing that they had taken off together. Way to go, Sam. You get the hot chick, and I get...what? Dean thinks to himself.

"I can't. I barely know you."

"We've been talking for hours."

"About not very much."

"OK then, my friend left with your friend."

"There is that." Alex stares a little longer at Dean, then hangs up her phone. "Just so you know, I don't make it a habit of letting strange men pick me up in bars."

Dean smiles at Alex, leading her out of the bar, and to the Impala. He smiles even larger when he sees the look of appreciation on Alex's face. Alex slides in, enjoying the feel of the leather beneath her palms. Now this was a car.

*************

10 days ago

"As you may well be aware, we are heading toward the end of days," Zachariah says. He had transported them all to a place a bit warmer, without rain. Darcey and Alex didn't like it, being in the middle of the Washington woods one moment, and then standing on a quiet balcony overlooking a bay the next. But when an angel, an honest to God angel, touched you and sent you there, what were you going to do? "The fate of all human kind rests in the hands of two brothers. The brothers Winchester, to be exact."

"And what does that have to do with us?" Alex asks. In tense situations, they had agreed that Alex would speak for them. Darcey would get flustered, reverting to French, or bored, and resort to violence.

"I am getting to that. You humans are all alike. So impatient. As I was saying, these brothers are fated to fight one another. Should one win, it will be heaven on earth. Should the other win, it will be hell. I am telling you this so you know just how important this job I am giving you is." Zachariah was so sure of himself, so positive this would be an excellent plan. Humans, as a whole, were greedy. Throw a little money their way, and they would do anything. Oh, sure, there were the religious zealots, who would do anything if you followed it with "and thus, God commanded." But these women were just a little different, a combination of greed, religion, and something else.

"Should you finish this job, you will be rewarded beyond your wildest dreams. Think about, Alexandra. You will have limitless resources, to put away endless wrong doers. And Darcey, you can retire. Live in a condo in Manhattan, like you always dreamed. All to perform one simple job."

"In our experience, the things that seem too good to be true normally are," Alex says. Neither she nor Darcey had fully relaxed; their guns were still drawn, if not aimed. "What exactly is it that you want us to do?"

Zachariah looks at the women, the same satisfied smile on his face. "It's very simple, really. I want you to find Dean and Sam Winchester."

Darcey and Alex look at each other, then at Zachariah, in confusion. "If we understand you correctly, you want us to find two men? That you, as an angel of the Lord, cannot find? And what if we say 'no'?" Darcey asks. Before she can finish, Zachariah is in her face.

"You will say yes, because if you are not with us, you are against us. And if you are against us, then you shall pay with your lives." he says, in his most angelic, scary voice. This same ultimatum was being made to people all over the country. It was only a matter of time before Sam and Dean were found. "You will find the Winchesters, and you will not let them out of your sight until I tell you to do so."

With that, Alex and Darcey find themselves standing outside of their car in the cold rain.


	5. Chapter 5

There is a bit more language in this chapter, so here's a "heads up."

But hey, Zachariah will do that to you.

Thanks for reading!

***************

"Your friend seems...nice," Dean tries to make small talk in the quiet car. It was a bit of a drive back to the motel; he and Sam had managed to get stuck in the one small town in the middle of nowhere with only one bar. Which was on the outskirts of the middle of nowhere.

Alex wraps her arms around herself. She was actually freezing. She hadn't meant to stand in the rain for quite so long, but she wanted to make sure she saw the headlights of the SUV before going back inside. Dean was surprised to find out they were all staying at the same place, and that she and Darcey weren't actually locals, but she had explained that away with a brief story about trying to cheer Darcey up. This was true, in a way.

"Nice is not the word most people use to describe her." Alex answers truthfully, as the Impala pulls into the motel lot. "We're in room 101. I don't want to put you out anymore than I already have. Thank you for the ride." Alex jumps out of the car, not turning back. So far, the Winchesters had acted exactly as they had expected them to. But there was always the chance that they wouldn't.

Dean watches from the car, shaking his head, as Alex turns the key in the door, and pushing. Only to find the safety chain drawn. Alex pounds on the door, and he can hear her calling her friend's name as he gets out of the car. Things just got a little interesting, he thinks to himself.

"Darcey, damn-it, open the door!" Alex knocks on the door again. They had agreed she would take Sam back to the Winchester's room, not theirs. One brother or the other was probably used to sleeping in the Impala, and wouldn't mind. But there was no way she was sleeping in the SUV, and she didn't want to spend the money on an extra room.

"I am not opening the door with you yelling at me," is the muffled reply from the other side of the door.

"I'm not yelling at you. I'm asking you politely to open this DAMN DOOR!"

The door opens long enough for both Alex and Dean to see an amused Sam sitting on the bed, and for Alex to catch a bag thrown at her. "Lighten up, Alex. Have a little fun," Darcey says before closing the door in Alex's face.

Alex stands there with bag in hand, staring in disbelief. What on earth was Darcey up to? This was not the time to be reckless. They had a job to complete, and she was acting like a child. She sighs, and turns around to scan for the SUV, walking right into Dean's chest.

"Ouch."

"Tell me about it," Dean says, putting his hands on her shoulders and steadying them both. Alex shakes her head, trying to break his hold. "Look, I know we got off to a rough start, but it looks like our friends aren't ready to call it a night. I've got an extra bed in my room. You could sleep there?"

"This really is a night for firsts," Alex sighs, then follows Dean toward room 113.

***********

Darcey hangs up the phone as Sam drives toward the motel. Alex had just called to let her know there was a slight change in plans. She felt bad about what she was doing, she really did. But like Alex had told her 10 days ago, they needed every job they could take.

She remembered the first time she heard about Sam and Dean Winchester. Brian had been a hunter for years before meeting Darcey. She was only eighteen at the time, just out of high school, and he was twice her age. Everyone else had frowned on the relationship, everyone but her best friend Alex, but she was a "foreigner", and didn't care what everyone thought. They dated for a couple of years, and were married by her 21st birthday. It was a simple ceremony in a courthouse, with the only witnesses Alex, and Brian's friend, John Winchester.

"We are staying in room 101. I find the end rooms to be the most comfortable. The least amount of noise." Darcey turns the key in the lock, and walks in, followed by a confused Sam. He watches as Darcey moves around the room, straightening up, throwing a few things in a bag. He sits down on the bed just before the knocking starts.

"Darcey let me in," he can hear Alex through the thin walls.

"Are you going to let your friend in?" Sam asks.

"No. She needs to have some fun. It'll be good for her. I am not opening the door with you yelling at me," Darcey answers.

Darcey turns toward Sam, winking at him. She knew Alex was going to be pissed that she had stuck to the original plan, but that woman needed to cut loose. And knowing what they did about Sam and Dean, Dean was the perfect person to help her.

"I'm not yelling at you. I'm asking you politely to open the DAMN DOOR!"

Darcey opens the door, tossing a bag at Alex. She honestly wasn't sure what was in there, but it was for appearances only.

"Lighten up, Alex. Live a little," she says, slamming the door in her face and sliding in the safety chain. She turns to find Sam sitting with a shocked expression on his face.

"What? It is for her own good."

"I'm not sure I'd call sending your friend off to spend the night with Dean 'for her own good.'" There was something about this woman that was setting warning signals off in his brain. But he couldn't quite put his finger on it. And the next thing he knew, she was staring at him, advancing on him.

"I find you very interesting, Sam Richards."

"The same could be said about you, Darcey...?"

"Laroque."

"That is a very French name."

"I am very French." Darcey says, leaning down to kiss Sam.

Warning signals or not, he went with it.

**********

10 days ago.

"We're screwed," Alex looks at Darcey, at a loss for what else to say.

"I believe the proper term is 'fucked' Alex. We are beyond screwed." Darcey stares back at Alex. What were they going to do? Run? From angels? For all they knew, that would put them on the most wanted list, too.

Before they can get in the car, and out of the rain, Zachariah reappears. "Ladies, before I forget, don't think about not accepting this job. I can make things very unpleasant for you." He points a finger at the inside of the car, and they can hear screams coming from the back seat. "Very unpleasant," he repeats before disappearing.

The man in the backseat continues to scream for another minute, before passing out again. When they get to the nearest sheriff's office, to turn him in for the murder of his wife and young son, the screaming starts again. They hadn't had time to fill out any of the necessary paperwork to collect the bounty on him; they had just wanted to get as far away from his dead eyes and endless screams.

Alex drove for hours that night, blasting the radio, trying to drown the sound out, until she couldn't drive anymore, then pulling into a small diner.

"What can I get you girls?" The waitress asks.

"Coffee, lots of cream, a little sugar, please," Alex orders, scanning the few other patrons.

"Waffles, thank you," Darcey answers, then waits for the woman to walk away. Lowering her voice, she asks "What are we going to do?"

"Nothing."

"What do you mean, 'nothing?'" Darcey takes a paper napkin from the holder and starts to shred it. Alex may be nervous before closing in on a target, but Darcey was always nervous before a hunt began.

"I mean, as of right now, we do nothing. Maybe some research tomorrow. I doubt they'll be that hard to find, but right now, we don't do anything."

"Alex, you cannot be seriously considering this. They are John's sons; we have heard stories about them for years."

"I know, Darc."

"Do you remember John always compared us to the two of them? Said he could see a little of his sons in us? And you want to collect a bounty on them?"

"I don't want to. But that was an angel. An ANGEL. And all we are supposed to do is find them. He can't want them for anything evil, right?"

They stop talking as the waitress brings their orders over, and they continue to eat in silence, each thinking about the last night's experience.

"Do you remember how to make a hex bag?" Alex asks, staring into her coffee.

"Maybe? What are you thinking?"

"I'm thinking maybe we need to disappear, ourselves, for a while."


	6. Chapter 6

Sam looks down at the sleeping woman lying next to him. It was the middle of the night, he and Dean were hiding from angels and demons, and what was he doing? Staring at the ceiling, thinking about this woman who now had all his warning bells going off. He sits up quietly in the bed, picks up his cell phone, and walks into the bathroom.

"This had better be damn important. Do you know what time it is?"

"Bobby, I'm sorry. "He stares at his reflection in the small, dull mirror, running his hands through his hair.

"Where are you and your idjit brother?"

"We're…staying busy. I'm calling because…I met a woman."

"You met a woman?" Bobby Singer interrupts Sam, practically screaming at him. The Winchester brothers would be the death of him, he was almost sure of it. "You sound like your brother."

"Bobby, just listen. I met a woman, who has the protection charm tattooed…, on her back."

"Well, wohoo. And you wake me up at three in the morning to tell me this?"

"No, but, Bobby, I don't think she's just any woman. Have you ever heard of Darcey Laroque?"

"Darcey, huh? I knew a Darcey once; husband was a friend of your father's. But I haven't seen her in years. Pretty young blond."

"With dark blue eyes?"

"That'd be her. And her husband isn't with her?"

"I hope not. That would make things, awkward." He guessed he could add "hiding from enraged husbands" to his list. Sam knew he should have listened to his intuition. If this was the same Darcey, that knew both Bobby and his father, then she was a hunter. Which meant, she was most likely on a hunt. "She's with a friend of hers, Alex…"

"Alex Miller. Sam, the three of them are hunters. Damn good hunters, too. You and your brother watch out."

************

Dean didn't sleep much. Hadn't slept much since being pulled out of hell. A few hours here and there, with lots of black coffee to keep him awake. He'd sleep one day, maybe when he was dead. It made his life interesting, to say the least. He lay in his bed, watching Alex asleep in hers. That was a first for him; a woman spending the night with him, yet not with him. She looked peaceful, in his grey shirt, and curled under the blanket.

So when she started tossing in her sleep, he was completely surprised. When she woke with "No!" sitting straight up in bed, he was across the small space between them before he even realized it.

"Alex, are you ok?" Dean asks, putting his hand on her shoulder. He could feel her pulse racing.

Alex blinks her eyes a few times, having trouble realizing where she is. She grabs on to Dean's hand; it was something warm, and real, and comforting. "I…I'm sorry. Bad dream."

"Sweetheart, I've had bad dreams. And then I've had one of those dreams. Are you ok?"

Alex finally looks at Dean, into his warm green eyes. John was right about his son; he may appear as tough nails, but he had a good heart. It was one of the things John worried about with Dean. He was so willing to help anyone else that he forgot to take care of himself. He had told her once, "Alex, you are so much like my oldest son; you and Dean want to defend the world, but you forget about yourselves." She often wondered how Darcey and Sam were alike, because to her, they were complete opposites.

"Alex, talk to me," Dean shakes her a little.

"I'm sorry. " Alex bit her lip, looking at Dean sitting on the edge of the bed. It broke her heart to think of what would happen to him, and his brother, if she and Darcey were to complete Zachariah's job. "Just, give me a minute."

Dean was worried. Alex hadn't stopped shaking. There were fine tremors shooting through her. He held one of her hands in both of his, watching her face. The fire in her eyes had dimmed, and she was taking short, shallow breaths. Whatever she had been dreaming about had scared the hell out of her. Which scared the hell out of him.

"Dean," Alex looks up at him. She had come to her decision tonight. "There is something I have to ask you. And I don't think that you're going to like it."

**************

6 days ago

"I found them," Darcey says, passing a sheet of paper across the table to Alex, and sliding into the booth. "It was not that hard. They are still using known past aliases."

Alex looks up from her coffee, the dark circles under her eyes standing out like bruises against her pale skin. "Maybe they want to be found?" She scans the list of credit card transactions. If things hadn't gotten so bad for them, she would have laughed at the names. They reminded her of happier times.

"Maybe they have a little more to worry about then new names?" Darcey was worried about her friend. She hadn't slept well in the past four nights. They had disappeared themselves, which was Alex's specialty. Darcey could find anyone, and Alex could make anyone disappear. They had stopped at home very briefly, to restock on cash and equipment. No credit cards, no bank account access, no cell phones, even the GPS had to go. And they had hex bags everywhere: no less than two of them on their person at any one time, stuffed all over the SUV, and in bags.

Before going off the grid, Darcey had called a friend of theirs, another hunter. It seemed that not only were the Winchester's on the angels' most wanted list, but also on the demons'. While they both had protection charms tattooed on themselves (Darcey's worked into a tribal sign on her back and Alex's hidden among stars across her ribs) the only known way to hide from angels was with the bags.

"So, what are we going to do?" Darcey asks.

"I don't see that we have a choice, Darcey. We have to go after them. It's us or them, and that damn angel knew it. We can't realistically hide forever."

"I doubt it will be 'forever' Alex. It would seem that the world is about to end."

"Don't make jokes about this. You know what I mean."

"This would kill Brian. And John would be so disappointed in us."

"Don't take this the wrong way, but John and Brian are both dead."

"Harsh, Alex." Darcey stands up, brushing out her pants. "I will be waiting for you outside."

Darcey storms out of the diner, and into the rainy afternoon. Alex knew she was being harsh, but she didn't think Darcey realized how serious their situation was. They wouldn't just be in hiding for a few days. They would become what they had spent the last eight years hunting; fugitives. She reaches into her purse, pulling out a few dollars for the bill, looks up to catch the waitress's eye, and finds herself staring across the diner into a pair of pale blue eyes.

"You cannot do this," she hears, shaking her head to clear it. She could swear it came from the man, only it was in her head. She needed sleep, she thinks to herself, walking out into the rain. They would both miss home. They would probably end up in a big city, which she hated. But cities were easier to disappear in than small towns. Grabbing the door handle, and climbing in, she sighs, the breath she'd been holding since hearing the voice escaping from her.

"You cannot do what it is you are thinking about," the man from the diner says behind them.

Darcey and Alex turn around to find a man in a trench coat sitting calmly in the back of their SUV.

"Who are you?" Darcey asks, pointing her gun at him.

"My name is Castiel. And I am an angel of the Lord."


	7. Chapter 7

"What do you mean, 'I'm not going to like it?'" Dean asks. Alex was still shaking, and he didn't know if it was due to the cold in the air, or to her nightmare. "I'm sure I've heard worse. Trust me," he says with a half smile.

Alex puts her other hand on top of his. They were something to hold on to, something to bring her back from the darkness that was inside her head. When they came back to the room, he had been the perfect gentleman, offering her clean, dry clothes when she realized Darcey hadn't put any thought into her packing. They had even talked for a few minutes, before she drifted off to sleep.

"If someone came to you, with an impossible decision," Alex pauses, trying to form the right question in her head. She had come to her decision just moments before, knowing Darcey had reached the same one day ago. "If you were faced with your life, or someone else's, what would you do?"

"Believe it or not, I'm faced with that decision all the time." Dean thinks to himself, what had this woman gotten herself into. "It's kind of my job."

Alex shakes her head, looking down at their hands. She was freezing, and she couldn't stop shaking.

"Dean, do you remember how you told me you wished I wouldn't look at you like I knew you?" Alex stares into his eyes.

"Like you're doing right know? Yeah, I remember." Dean's warning signals started going off.

"Would you mind handing me my bag? The black one?" Dean lets go of her hands, and crosses the room, picking up her large black purse. He carries it over to her, and watches as she pulls a book out of it, backing up when he sees that it is a much worn copy of "Shadow," by Carver Edlund.

"You're a damn fangirl?" he asks.

"No, Dean. I am not a 'fangirl.' Haven't you read any of these books?" Dean shakes his head in disbelief. "There's something in here I think you should read."

He was kind of surprised the only fans of the books he and Sam had come across were Becky, and the group at that crazy convention. And now he had one, in his motel room. He wouldn't be surprised if she wrote a book about it. Or at least posted a message on some website.

"Fine, if you don't want to read it, I'll read it to you." Alex removes a piece of paper from the book, setting it face down on the bed. 'John knew he had to help his boys, had to get to Chicago. But he was so close on the heels of old yellow eyes. 'Don't worry, John' his friend Brian Black said to him. 'The girls and I will finish here for you. You save your sons.'

Dean cuts Alex off. "I don't need to hear this. I lived…, I mean, these are silly books."

"No, they aren't. Please, just let me finish?"

"Fine," Dean huffs, walking away from Alex. They were silly books. He still didn't understand why anyone would want to read about them.

"'Brian, I can't help but think this is it. That we won't see each other again.' John says to his friend with deep foreboding in his voice. He turns to the women standing next to Brian, the beautiful blond and the brunette with eyes that burned. 'Darcey, Alex, be careful.'"

It takes a minute for Dean to process what he had just heard. He stares into the mirror at Alex, watching her, then grabs her other bag and wet clothes and throws them at her. "You're a fangirl, larping as an unknown character in some stupid book. Get out."

"Dean, I'm not 'larping,'" Alex says, staring back. "I AM the Alex in that book. Just like you are THE Dean. If you'll just give me a minute," she moves around on the bed, trying to find the piece of paper she had removed just minutes ago.

Crossing the room, Dean grabs her arm, pulling her out of the bed just as she finds the paper.

She puts a hand to Dean's chest, pushing him back, then handing him the photo. "What is this supposed to be?" he asks.

"It's of Darcey's wedding day. Darcey, and your father's friend, Brain. Dean that is your father standing next to them. Next to me."

************

Darcey stretches out in the bed, rolling over like a satisfied cat. That was fun, she thinks to herself. More than she had anticipated. She narrows her eyes, hearing Sam's deep voice from the bathroom. Men could be such boys, sometimes, she thinks to herself. He was probably telling his brother about his conquest. It didn't bother her, really. Besides, she had a job to do, and now was as good as time to get started.

"So, you're a hunter." Sam says, coming out of the bathroom, and tossing his phone onto the table. He grabs a shirt, feeling strange standing there half naked.

"I am a hunter," Darcey answers, pouting a little at no longer being able to stare at his firm chest.

"Don't you think you should have told me?"

"No. I knew you would figure it out. If not by the tattoo, then by the stockpile of guns. Or maybe the hex bags." Darcey shrugs nonchalantly, getting out of bed and pulling on a pair of jeans.

"So, you're what? In town on a hunt?" Sam inches slowly towards the door.

"Sam, I need time to explain. It is complicated." Darcey reaches behind her, pulling a gun out from under the mattress. He wasn't going to make things easy for them, was he? Alex could play the damsel in distress perfectly, and Dean always fell for the damsel. But Darcey hated acting, preferring instead to cut right to the chase. "Besides, I cannot let you go running off, can I?"

*************  
6 days ago

Castiel was not used to interacting with humans. While he had been on earth for just over a year and a half, he knew that the Winchesters and their fellow hunters were a minor sampling of humanity. His search for God had led him to many interesting places, and he made it a habit to take a moment, a very brief moment, to stop and watch humanity at work. So it was purely by chance that he overheard two women talking about Sam and Dean Winchester, while sitting in a diner.

"I thought you said these things worked?" Alex asks Darcey, the tremor in her voice noticeable. Castiel couldn't understand why his presence was making the woman shake so violently.

"I thought they were," Darcey answers, turning to Castiel. "We are looking for them. We have not refused to perform this job. We just need more time."

"What 'job' is it you are referring to?" Castiel asks, staring at them both with wide blue eyes.

Alex turns to face him, anger breaking through the terror. "The one the other angel gave us four days ago."

"The other angel?" Castiel thinks for a moment, adding what he had overheard in the diner. "Another angel has set you with the task of hunting the Winchesters? And you believe that I am…checking in…on you." Things were worse than he had feared, and it had started sooner than he had hoped.

"Zachariah," Darcey answers. "So you can go back to him and tell him that we are doing the job."

"Please, just go," Alex whispers.

"You are mistaken. Zachariah did not send me. I do not work for him. I work for the Lord."

"So God is unable to find two men, as well?" Darcey asks. These angels were confusing her.

"God is not looking for the Winchesters. God knows where they are."

"Then why don't you ask God where they are, and leave us alone?" Alex asks.

Castiel shakes his head at the two women. "It is a long story. But Zachariah's…interests are not the same as the Lord's. They are not the same as mine. And if you are hunting for the Winchester brothers, then I am afraid I cannot let you continue." Castiel raises both hands toward the women.

"Wait! Please, just wait. If Zachariah didn't send you, then how did you find us?" Alex asks, thinking. She hoped Darcey was coming to the same conclusion.

"I was not looking for you."

"Then, if you were not looking for us, the hex bags work?" Darcey ponders.

"If you mean, could I…sense you, no. They work."

"Ok, you weren't looking for us, you don't work for Zachariah, and you appear to be on the Winchesters side. I am right?" Alex had stopped shaking. Maybe, just maybe, this was someone they could trust.

"You are correct. But I cannot allow you to harm the Winchesters."

"Castiel, you don't know how happy I am to hear you say that."


	8. Chapter 8

Sam stares in amazement at the woman standing in front of him with a drawn gun. She seemed unnaturally calm. Deep down, he guessed he knew what this was about. They had run into those kids a few days ago, the ones who summoned a demon. And Cas had warned him that all of creation would be hunting them.

"Darcey, let's just talk calmly?" he backs away from the door, and toward the bed.

"I am talking calmly. You, however, do not look so good. Did you know your eye twitches ever so slightly when you are thinking? I noticed it earlier." She moves slowly, placing herself between Sam and the door. She had learned most of her fighting skills from Brian; he wanted her to be safe at all times. "Do you know, I think I figured out how you and I are alike?"

"What do you mean, we are alike? What are you talking about?"

"Sam, I have a lot of things to tell you. And not a lot of time to do it in. So please, just shut the hell up."

Sam blinks back in surprise, falling back onto the bed. This woman standing in front of him now was completely different from the woman he had come back to the room with. This Darcey was scary.

"I was married to a man named Brian Black. Is this a familiar name to you?" Darcey pulls a chair in front of the door, and sits down, resting the gun on her knee, and studying Sam's face. She did see why they were similar; John had pointed it out to her once. They both appeared outwardly calm, but inside were so many emotions, and a temper that was like a powder keg. One spark would set either of them off.

Sam shakes his head, thinking to himself. He'd never heard of Brian Black, but he was willing to go along with the story, wasting as much time as possible.

"Brian was a hunter. A very good hunter. And he had a friend who was also a very good hunter. But like most hunters, they got themselves killed, leaving their loved ones to fend for themselves. Do you know who my husband's friend was, Sam? Who Alex's friend, and my friend, was?"

Sam again shakes his head, turning to look at the clock. 4a.m., and the rain was still coming down. It would be another three hours, at the very least, before he heard from Dean. "This sounds like an interesting story, Darcey, but what does it have to do with me?"

"Our friend was named John. John Winchester. Your father." She watches for Sam's reaction. He hides it very well, but then, she was very observant. His eyes changed color, his jaw clenched, and back tensed.

"My father?" Sam can't believe what he just heard. "Your husband was a friend of my father's?" Darcey nods her head. Honestly, they weren't really as slow as they seemed.

"Ok, so, you knew my father. Like I said, nice story, but what does it have to do with me?" Sam was doing the math in his head. Darcey was too relaxed. If he moved fast enough, he could make it across the small space, and disarm her. But then, if she was acting, like he thought she had been all night, he could end up shot.

************

Dean examines the photo in his hand. In it were a young woman and a man his father's age, smiling at each other. And to his amazement, standing in between the man and another young woman, was his father. "You knew my father?"

"He was a good man, Dean. He talked about you and Sam all the time."

"Did you know him well?"

"Maybe I should start from the beginning? The first time we met was at Brian and Darcey's wedding. Brian told us he was an old hunting buddy. I joined Darcey and Brian in their business, as bounty hunters, two years later. Some of the jobs we went on didn't make sense, and that's when Brian introduced us to the world of the Supernatural. Ghosts, and possessions, and things that go bump in the night."

Dean had sat down on the edge of the bed, still looking at the picture. He missed his father. Hell, he missed his entire family. Things with Sam hadn't been the same in a long time.

"A few years later, John contacted Brian for help in tracking down whatever killed your mother. And Darcey traced it back to Chicago. This is the scene in that book. A year or so later, Darcey stumbled across the Supernatural books in a used book store, a purchased a couple for Brian, as a joke. He loved them, read them all. Until he came across that scene. The writer goes into a detailed description of each of us, as we watch John walk away. It's spot on."

"You know, it could be a coincidence? A really lucky guess?"

"I lived that scene. Just like you lived this series."

"I had a feeling that's what you would say."

"Brian showed it to me, and told me it may be important someday."

Alex sits down on the edge of the bed, watching Dean's face while he processes her story.

"Ok. You're a hunter. You know me. You knew my father. What is this all about?" Dean stands up and walks away from Alex. He thought he knew what it was about, that hunters could turn to the dark side for the right bribe. He turns around slowly, pointing his gun at Alex.

Alex sighs. In the end, it would be easier to just let him kill her. Then she would be free of the angels, free of the nightmares, just free. But she couldn't let him do that. It wasn't fair to him.

"An angel sent me."

*************

6 days ago.

"You are happy to know that I cannot allow you to harm the Winchesters?" These women hurt his head, Castiel thought to himself. Maybe it was all hunters that were confusing.

"Give me a minute to pull my thoughts together," Alex says, than notices the look on Castiel's face. "Please," she adds.

"Is Zachariah a fallen angel?" Darcey asks. "Because from all I have heard of angels, you are supposed to be comforting, guardians."

"Angels are God's warriors," Castiel answers, then thinks a little more about his answer. "Although, there are guardian angels. The angel that appeared to Mary, the mother of Jesus, was a comfort to her." Darcey just stares at him, waiting for the answer to her question. To her, he seemed to be evading it. Alex was sitting in her seat, holding her head. Darcey knew what that meant, that she was deep in thought, or even coming up with a plan. It was her job to keep Castiel occupied.

"No, Zachariah is not a fallen angel."

"Are you a fallen angel?"

"I...am cut off from heaven. But I have not fallen." He looked both ashamed, and fearsome. Neither woman had seen anything like that before.

"Does Zachariah plan to harm the Winchesters?" Alex asks. She had stopped shaking.

"Yes."

"Then believe me when I tell you, we want nothing to do with him. But, we're dead if we don't find them."

"Or worse," Castiel answers them truthfully. Zachariah was unforgiving when it came to disobedience. And it was clear to him that these women had seen his handiwork.

"Thanks for that."

"You are welcome."

Both women stare at him, like he was missing something. It was the same way Sam and Dean looked at him.

"So, what do we do? We can't run forever."

Castiel thought maybe he could trust the two women sitting in front of him. He hadn't been "in touch" with Sam and Dean in days. The truth was, they refused to answer his calls. Bobby hadn't heard from them either. And if they weren't who or what they said they were? Dean and Sam Winchester would take care of them.

"Find the Winchesters. And tell them to answer their damn phones."


	9. Chapter 9

"An angel?" Dean asks, still aiming his gun at Alex. She didn't seem at all upset by it, which he found odd. In fact, she had stopped shaking, and looked almost calm.

"Actually, more than one angel." Alex answers, staring up at Dean from the bed. Her thoughts were running around in her head, and she couldn't make sense of them. But she did know that the next few minutes were important to her survival.

"More than one angel? What, now we're on heaven's hit list, too?" Dean smirks, then reads the look on Alex's face. "Oh, I guess we are. So, which low level douche with wings sent you?"

"One of them was named Zachariah. And your description of him is perfect." Alex wraps her arms around herself again, trying to hold off the shaking. Just thinking about him was enough to make it start all over again.

"Damn." When they had found out the demons were after him, it had been from some minor nameless stunt demon. But to know that Zachariah was lowering himself to conversing with humans, willingly, was pretty scary. "And what are you supposed to do, now that you've found me?"

"Dean, would you please put your gun down? I'm unarmed. And you can clearly beat the hell out of me. Please?"

"Sorry, sweetheart, but no. How do I know you're still human, and not another dick with wings?"

"I guess you don't." Alex shrugs. "Zachariah almost wrecked my car, by appearing in the middle of the road a few nights ago. He offered me and Darcey an unimaginable reward for performing a job for him: find Sam and Dean Winchester, and don't let them out of our sight. We thought about turning the job down outright, but he did something to the man in the car with us, and that man screamed for over an hour when we finally reached our destination. He looked like his insides were melting. It's was the worst thing I've ever seen, and when I close my eyes at night, I can still see it."

Dean didn't think that Alex was acting. He and Sam had been on the receiving end of Zachariah trying to make a point. He almost felt sorry for her. Except she had found him and his brother, which meant the angels probably weren't that far away. That is, if they weren't already waiting for them.

"Darcey and I have been running ever since."

"You're running from angels?"

"He wasn't a very nice angel," she says with a sad smile.

**********

"This is what my story has to do with you, Sam Winchester." Darcey studies Sam. He was still in control, but she knew he would snap at moment. And that was what she was waiting for. As much fun as she had rolling around in the bed with him, she wanted a fight. A knockdown, drag out, no holds barred, fight. "A few days ago, a man tried to kill me and Alex. This man, who is really an angel, gave us a job. Hunt you and your brother down. And not let you out of our sight. And for doing this, we will be rewarded."

Sam exhales deeply, then inhales. Shit, he thinks to himself. Castiel really was right; at this point, everyone was hunting them. "You can't trust the angels."

Darcey laughs. "Sam, I cannot trust anyone. Not even Alex. She and I had an agreement. And she changed her mind."

"Darcey, you're scaring me."

"Sam, you scare me."

"How do I scare you?" Sam watches her closely. When she was telling a story, she relaxed. But when she was getting worked up, if he timed it just right, he could make a break for her, and avoid being shot.

"You scare me, because you are the one who will bring hell on earth. Oh, Zachariah, that is the angel that appeared to us, did not tell me which brother would cause it, but I can figure it out. You are so angry; I can see the fire in your eyes." Darcey leans forward, hoping this is the spark that will set Sam off. "You cannot deny who you are."

Before Sam is aware of what he is doing, he is off the bed, and in Darcey's face, left hand wrapped around her right wrist, right hand around her throat, lifting her out of the chair. And as Darcey passes out, he could swear he catches a small, satisfied smile on her face.

********

3 days ago

"And they'll be in the bar? You're sure?...Of course I trust you, Castiel. I'll call you as soon as we see them." Alex hangs up the phone, returning the wave from the neighbor across the way. The last three days had been odd, especially since they had someone they could trust working with them. Castiel wanted to find the Winchesters as badly as everyone else did, but for purely different reasons. And for that she and Darcey were thankful. He had explained a lot of things to them about the Apocalypse, but the most important thing they got out of it was that Sam and Dean still had a choice, that destiny, or fate, or whatever you wanted to call it, didn't really matter. It all went back to free will.

Alex walks into the motel room she and Darcey were sharing, and out of the rain. "I miss the sunshine. Do you think we could get lost in Miami? Or maybe Austin?" Darcey asks while flipping through the television channels. There was never anything good on.

"They have hurricanes in Florida. And Austin isn't really that big of a city. Besides, the rain has to stop at some point, right? It's only been 17 days; start panicking in another 23." Alex smiles at her friend. They would definitely go somewhere south. Maybe very south, and head into Mexico. Because once they did find the Winchesters, and warned them about the angels and other hunters, they would still be on the run.

Both women turn when they hear a knock on the door. "Did you order pizza?" Alex asks Darcey.

"No. Maybe it is Castiel, and he forgot to tell us something?"

"No, he would call." Both women cautiously draw their weapons, keeping them out of sight as Alex heads to the door. "Who is it?" She asks, peering into the peep hole, and seeing their neighbor.

"I have something for you," is the answer from the other side of the door.

"No, thank you. Whatever it is," Alex answers, only to have the door burst back and knock her over. Darcey jumps to her feet, but is thrown back down by a blast of air.

"Looks like I found most wanted numbers 4 and 5." The neighbor, a small mousy looking man, dressed in tweed and corduroy, says.

"Do we know you?" Darcey asks, moving to check on Alex.

"No. But you know my boss, and he is not happy with you. Not at all. What were you thinking, running from us?"

Alex reaches up, wiping a bit of blood from her hairline. "We aren't running. We're hunting."

"Tsk, tsk," the angel answers. "You shouldn't lie to angels, you know. It's a sin." He points at Darcey, and she grimaces in pain.

"We are not lying," she manages to gasp out.

"Oh? Then what are these for?" he asks, picking up a handful of hex bags, throwing them at the women.

"You have to know you aren't the only ones looking for the Winchesters. We're protecting ourselves," Alex answers, only to be met with pain.

"Would you like to know how Zachariah chose you two? I'm going to tell you. There is a prophet, writing the Gospel of Winchester. And you two are mentioned in it. Oh, it's very briefly, and most readers would just gloss over it, but you had to be there for a reason." He makes a squeezing motion, and both women gasp again.

Lying on her side, Alex fumbles with her phone, trying to press the redial button. Darcey senses what she is doing, and tries to draw the angel's attention toward her.

"And what reason would that be?"

"To be used," he answers. "You will be sorry you ran. You should have accepted being pawns. Now, you will be examples." He reaches out, grasping Darcey's shoulder, shooting pain down her arm and through her sides. She tries unsuccessfully to bite back the scream in her throat, but it escapes, causing Alex to cover her ears. "I am one lucky angel, finding you like this. Now, where are the Winchesters?"

"No where you will find them," Castiel says over the small man's shoulder, stabbing him through the heart. The dead angel collapses to the floor, causing Darcey to drop as well. "You need to get out of here," he says to the two women, bending over to pick up the passed out Darcey.

"How did he find us?" Alex manages to ask while quickly gathering their things. A dead body and screaming women were sure to draw the attention of others.

"My guess would be he was watching demon signs, and looking in places the Winchesters would hide. When you find Sam and Dean, tell them that this is far worse than I had imagined."

"Castiel, thank you." Alex thought about hugging the angel standing in front of her, but he didn't look like he would know what to do with a hug.


	10. Chapter 10

My thanks for reading this far. "Thanks!"

This next chapter is a bit short, but I think it sets up nicely for the next couple.

******************

Now what, Sam thinks to himself, picking up the phone and dialing Dean's number. Darcey had pulled a gun on him, so he could justify he attacked her in self defense, but she hadn't really said anything threatening. Other then she had been sent by Zachariah. But how did they get out of there, without cluing in her friend?

"Damn it, Dean, pick up your phone!" Sam presses the end button, putting his phone in his back pocket and heading for the door.

"I am sorry, Sam. I cannot let you leave." Darcey sits up, taking aim with her gun.

*************

Dean replays the story Alex just told him in his head, gun still trained on her. Alex watches his face closely, waiting for him to catch on. "You said more than one angel sent you. How many more?" Dean ignores his ringing phone, refusing to take his eyes off Alex.

Alex breathes a sigh of relief. No, the Winchesters were not as slow as they appeared. "Only one other. His name is Castiel."

"Cas sent you? How did he find you?" Dean was confused. Cas was their friend, had helped them more times than he could count. And now he was working with two women who may be working for Zachariah?

"He overheard us talking about you, told us he couldn't let us do what we were thinking about doing. And when I explained to him we didn't want to hunt you, that we wanted to be as far from Zachariah as possible, he asked us to find you."

"This is unbelievable," Dean lowers his gun. If Castiel trusted Alex, then Dean could trust Alex. He knew that. "Why would he ask you to find us? Does he think we can help you?"

"I think Darcey and I are beyond help. Maybe Castiel asked us to find you because you won't answer his phone calls?" Alex smiles slightly, then stands up, moving around the room to get her things together. "But there is more to this story, and I think you and your brother should be together to hear it. Dean, Darcey and I are here to make you and Sam disappear."

*************

1 night ago.

Darcey quietly slips from the hotel room, and out into the cold rain. Alex wouldn't miss her. She had finally fallen asleep after tossing and turning for the past two hours. She had about an hour before Alex would wake up.

She gets into the SUV, easing it out of the parking lot and down the road, toward the river. Finding Sam and Dean Winchester hadn't really been all that hard for her. She may be beautiful, but she was not just another pretty face. She was very, very good at what she did. Running in to them at the bar had changed her mind on a few things, and she had to sort those out.

She stops at the side of the road, walking down to the river side. The trees here sheltered her from the rain, and she could think while watching the river. It looked like she felt, churning under the bridge, white caps kicking up from the rain, it's banks overflowing from 19 days of constant downpour.

She reaches into her coat pocket, pulling out two small brown bags, and staring at them for a brief moment, before tossing them into the river. They bob in place, until the current picks them up, and they swirl away into the dark.

"That was very interesting. I may let you live long enough to find out why you did it. Maybe," Zachariah says to Darcey's still form.

"I found the Winchesters." Darcey says, turning around to face the angel at her back.

"And you think after running from me, I should, what? Say thank you, here is your reward? I don't think so," Zachariah smirks. He knew it was only a matter of time before either Alexandra or Darcey got tired of running. But this was much quicker than he had imagined.

"I do not want a reward."

"Then why?"

"Because I know we cannot run forever. Because I do not want to experience pain like I experienced two nights ago. And because I do not want to see hell on earth."

"All very compelling reasons. And what about Alexandra? What does she want?"

"It does not matter. She will agree with me, she always does." Darcey knew Alex wouldn't necessarily see things her way. Alex was good at making people disappear, but these were not people they were running from. Besides, she thinks to herself, she knew how to make Alex THINK this is what they should do.


	11. Chapter 11

"You're here to make us disappear? What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Dean asks, handing Alex her bag. It sounded ominous, but then, if she had planned to kill him, she would have done it already. And if she was going to turn him over to Zachariah, she would have done that, too. "And why not just tell us right away?"

Alex looks at Dean with smile. "If I had walked up to you in a bar and said, 'Hello. You don't know me, but my name is Alex, and an angel sent me here to make sure you disappear,' what would you have done? Besides, Darcey has a thing for tall men. She's been down lately, and I thought she could use a little fun."

"Good point," Dean laughs a little. "Alex, if there is a way Sam and I can help you, we will."

"Dean, thank you." She turns toward the door, stopping to look back over her shoulder. "You are a great man, Dean Winchester. And your father would be very proud of you."

He stares after her as she runs out into the rain. He and Sam met the most interesting people.

The rain had gotten heavier during the night, and beat against them as they walked the short distance to the other end of the motel. So much for dry clothes, they both think to themselves.

"I'm done with the rain," Dean says, reaching over Alex's shoulder to knock on the door, before remembering the chain.

"She'll have pulled that earlier." Alex says, turning the knob and opening the door.

**********

"I am sorry, Sam. I am. But this is the end for you." Darcey says calmly, still lying on the floor.

Sam blinks in disbelief. It was all going to end for him in a motel room in the middle of nowhere. And he wasn't entirely sure why. He takes a step in her direction. Maybe he could get the gun away from her again. He holds his hands up, in a gesture of defeat. "Darcey, why?"

"Does it matter why?" Sam catches a brief moment of doubt in her dark blue eyes, before being replaced by the icy calm. "Because I am afraid of you."

They both turn hearing Dean and Alex's voices outside the room. "Show time," Darcey says, and Sam watches as she tosses her gun across the room, and sags toward the floor.

**********

1 night ago

Darcey parks her SUV, darting across the wet parking lot, and back into her motel room. With any luck, Alex would still be asleep, and wouldn't notice she was gone. Of course, luck was never on her side, she thinks, turning to find Alex sitting up in bed, reading.

"Couldn't sleep either?" Alex asks her friend, not looking up from her book.

"I needed to get some air." Darcey throws her keys on the table, and paces the length of the room, brushing her wet hair back from her face. "Alex, I have been thinking."

Alex puts her book down, looking up at her friend. She knew that tone of voice, like Darcey would lapse into French at any moment. "I don't think I'm going to like this."

"What if we are doing the wrong thing? What if Zachariah is right and Castiel is wrong?" Darcey stops pacing long enough to look at her friend. It would take a lot of persuading to get Alex to see things from her point of view. They had known each other for sixteen years. Since she moved from Val d'Or, Quebec to Augusta, Maine. They knew everything about each other. Darcey watches as Alex just blinks in disbelief at her.

"You think that after everything we've seen, everything we've been through in these past 10 days, that now we should change our minds?" Alex gets out of her bed, trying to look Darcey in the eye. At times, being short was a disadvantage, but right now it didn't matter. Darcey wouldn't meet her gaze. "You were the one who talked me into saving John's sons."

"I know I was. But Alex, what if one of them really will bring hell to earth? Do you want that on your conscience? Do you want to live knowing that you were so close to stopping that from happening and that you let them get away?"

Alex narrows her eyes at Darcey, crossing her arms. "That's harsh, Darcey. Even for you." The one thing that had kept Alex hunting was knowing she was helping people. Either by saving them from a supernatural being or by putting the scum of the earth away.

"I just want you to think about it. To make sure we have made the right decision." Darcey sits down on the bed, fidgiting with the scratchy bed spread, then looking up at her friend. "What if we talk to them, before doing anything? We are both good judges of character. Maybe...I do not know," she shurgs.

Alex shakes her head, and then puts one hand to her forehead. Darcey looks down into her lap with a small smile. She knew this pose; she had made Alex doubt herself. It was only a matter of a few tricks she had up her sleeves, and Alex would fall in line with her.

"You want to talk to Sam and Dean, and, what? Ask if they plan to end the world?" She didn't know what had gotten into her friend, and she was right. She didn't like it.

"No. Not ask them outright. Talk to them, maybe. Spend a bit of time with them. If they are the men that John told us they were, the men that Castiel believes them to be, then we proceed as planned. But if you or I see something different, something...evil, we burn these bags, beg for mercy, and turn them in."

"I'm not totally OK with this plan, but I trust you, Darcey. If you need time to make your mind up, I'll give it to you." Alex thought she knew that Darcey had already made up her mind about Sam and Dean Winchester, and that Darcey knew that Alex herself hadn't. It was one thing they did when on a hunt; working through a tough question, one or the other of them playing devil's advocate. And to be honest with herself, she wasn't altogether sure they were doing the right thing.

"Then we are in agreement?"

"Absolutely."

"In that case, I have on small favor to ask, si vous plais," Darcey says with a smile and a wink. "You know how I love tall men..."


	12. Chapter 12

My thanks again for making it this far. And I'd like to thank Zarza for editing my French, of which there is a bit in this chapter. But no worries, the translations are at the end of the chapter. Read on, and enjoy! :D

************

"Sam, what the hell?" Dean asks, looking from his brother to the prone Darcey. "They're here to help us!"

"Then they have a strange way of doing it!" Sam snaps at Dean.

"Alex, écoute moi. Sam m'a attaqué. tu dois me croire. Il est dangereux ; nous devons les dénoncer*." Darcey looks up at her friend. She wasn't sure if the brothers knew French, but she was betting they didn't. And the only way she knew to get Alex to see things her way was to have her see a threat. Sam attacking a woman? That was a threat.

"He what?" Alex exclaims, looking from Sam's confused face to Darcey's frightened one. She backs slowly away from Dean, setting her bag down, and drawing her gun. She points her gun from Sam, to Darcey, then back again, keeping the wall at her back. What on earth could have happened in the few hours Darcey and Sam were alone? "Darcey, why would he have attacked you?"

"Puisqu'il est une menace, voilà pourquoi. Tu ne peux pas le voir? Dans ses yeux ? Alex, s'il te plaît***." Darcey stands up, holding her side. There were red marks around her throat and right wrist.

Out of the corner of her eye, Alex catches Dean making a break for her and her gun, and she turns to face him. "Dean, I don't want to hurt you, but I will." He backs off, watching her carefully. Unlike a lot of people he came across, Alex knew how to handle a gun; held in both hands, bracing herself, aware of her surroundings. He studies the room, noticing the one made bed, and the other with the rumpled sheets, two suitcases, a few various items of clothes, the knocked over chair, and two guns sitting in a separate corners of the floor. Two guns and neither of them was Sam's.

"Alex, sweetheart, I don't think..."

"Now is not the time for 'sweetheart', Dean."

Sam watches his brother studying the room. Why hadn't he immediately gone after Alex? Dean could take her, no problem, be it in a fist fight or a gun fight. But he was just standing there, watching her watch him. He couldn't quite read the look on Alex's face, but it wasn't fear. He was sure of that. It looked, to Sam, who was staring down yet another gun that night, like suspicion. Only not directed at him.

"Are you just going to stand there all evening, Alex? Or are we going to do what we came here for?" Darcey crosses the small space, putting her hand on her friend's shoulder. "You have your answer, no?"

With her gun still trained on Sam, and looking at Darcey, Alex notices a few things herself. Like how there weren't any signs of a struggle, how both of Darcey's guns were out, and the smallest bit of excitement in Darcey's eyes. "Sam, what was the last thing Darcey said to you?"

Sam, with a puzzled look on his face, turns to Dean, who just shrugs. "Umm, what do you mean?"

"Before your brother and I walked through that door, what was the last thing Darcey said to you?" Alex asks, looking into her friend's eyes, catching them as they narrow slightly.

"'Show time.'" Sam answers, then watches in disbelief as Alex, with a knee to her gut, and an upper cut with her gun, knocks her friend out cold.

"She was never very good at poker." Alex says with a shrug.

"What the hell was that about?" Dean asks, moving to Sam's side, checking for injuries.

"Dude, I'm fine. And I don't know."

"If it's what I think it is, we don't have much time. Here, tie her up," Alex says, throwing Dean a pair of handcuffs, and then pulling her computer out of her bag. "I need about fifteen minutes, then we need to get the hell out of here."

The brothers stare at each other for a minute before Dean Moves to follow Alex's instructions.

"That's it? Just like that, you don't need an explanation?" Sam looks at his brother.

"She has her reasons, Sammy. Something about angels and making us disappear. Alex, what the hell?"

With a sigh, Alex stares at her computer screen. "I think Darcey was going to turn you two over to Zachariah. Why, I don't really know. It was her idea to save you."

"You said there was more to your story, and that Sam and I should be together to hear it." Dean sits down on the bed, next to Alex, watching her type. She didn't really look like a computer nerd to him, but she definitely knew what she was doing. He couldn't follow as she moved quickly from website to website.

"Sam, how much did Darcey tell you?" she asks, looking up into Sam's perplexed face.

"Umm, that you were friends of our father's, and that Zachariah sent you. Dean, WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON? And why are you sitting there so calmly?" Sam runs his hands through his hair, pacing across the dingy motel floor.

"OK, condensed version? Yes, we were friends of your fathers. Me and Darcey's husband, more than Darcey. But that isn't the important part. Apparently, we were included in a book to be used as future pawns, to hunt you and your brother down. And this is taking longer than I thought. We need to get out of here, now." Alex pulls out her phone, and makes a quick call.

"How are we going to get out of here?....Oh." Dean asks, only to be greeted by Castiel's blue eyed gaze.

**************

(*Alex, listen to me. Sam attacked me. You have to believe me. He is dangerous; we must turn them in.)

(***Because he is a threat, that is why. Can you not see it? In his eyes? Alex, please.)


	13. Chapter 13

"Alex, what is going on here?" Castiel asks with a slight pause. Sam and Dean had become used to the way the angel spoke, like he was trying out the words in his head first, but it still unsettled Alex.

"I don't really know, Castiel, but we need to get out of here. Can you help?" Alex asks, looking up into the angel's eyes.

"Of course I can."

"Wait! I'm not going anywhere until I know what is going on." Sam throws up his hands in exasperation, backing away from Dean, Castiel and Alex.

"Sam, I don't think we really have time to explain. Even Cas looks spooked." Dean tries to calm his brother down. Not knowing what was happening was making Sam start to become unhinged. Not to mention whatever had happened before he and Alex had entered the room. He thought that would make for an interesting story.

Throwing her bag over her shoulder, Alex walks up to Sam. "Sam, I know it's a lot to ask, but please trust me. As soon as we can get somewhere safe, I'll explain everything. Please?"

Looking from Alex to his brother, Sam heaves a sigh, "Fine."

Castiel motions for Sam to join him near the still knocked out Darcey, then touching both, the three disappear.

"Oh!" Alex gasps in surprise.

"Yeah, it's not a fun way to travel." Dean says with a small smirk.

Castiel pops back into the room, and moves to touch Dean. "Wait! What about my car?"

"Dean, now is not the time to worry about your car." Castiel says.

"I can't leave her here." Dean looks distraught at the thought of loosing his car, but reading the looks on Castiel and Alex's faces, he gives up. Castiel touches the two of them, and they disappear, only to reappear outside a similar looking motel.

"I'll go get us a room," Alex says, slipping around the corner and into the office.

"Cas, what's going on?"

*******

Alex sits on the bed, working on her computer, deleting credit card information, phone bills, anything that could create a trail leading to Winchesters. It was really just a "band-aid", as she liked to think about it. Anyone really interested in finding them this way would be able to see past her work, but most hunters they knew weren't as tech savvy as she and Darcey were. It would take her more time then she thought they had, to do the job that needed to be done. She looks over at her friend, knocked out across the other bed. She couldn't think about that right now, or she'd end up in a ball of tears. Why would she change her mind? And why hadn't she talked to her about it? Really talked to her, not tried to play devil's advocate.

"So, Zachariah is hiring hunters, to hunt us?" Sam asks in disbelief.

"I did warn you," Castiel replies. "But I wouldn't say he is hiring them. More like threatening them."

"And Alex and Darcey were hired by Zach. But Cas found them before they found us."

"But why would they want to help us?" asks Sam.

"Because your father was my friend," Alex answers, joining the men at the table. Castiel and Dean shift their chairs, making room for her. "And I refuse to believe that his sons could be evil, or end the world, or do any of the other things that Zachariah says you will do."

"OK, that explains how you got here. It doesn't explain the whole "make you disappear" part," Dean says.

"I'm getting to that. Darcey and I aren't just hunters. We're bounty hunters."

"Like 'Dog'?" Dean asks with a smirk.

"No. He's a joke. Scary, but a joke. We don't go around broadcasting ourselves. We're very good at what we do, but we're also pretty secretive about it. We found you, didn't we?"

"Touche'" Sam says, with a smile. He secretly enjoyed it when anyone matched wits with his brother.

"Darcey can find anyone. And I can make it so that they never existed. Delete records, change identities. Which brings me to the 'disappearing' part. I've wiped out your existing credit cards and phone records. You'll need to be careful about them from now on. Stick to cheap phones, nothing hi-tech. They all have GPS in them. And you'll need new identities."

"What's wrong with our old ones?"

"Remember how I asked you if you'd read the 'Supernatural' books?"

"Yeah."

"Well, there is always the chance that some other hunter has. Or even worse, that when Zachariah sent people after you, he said 'Here, read this. It'll tell you all you need to know about who you are after.' Guys, they list all your known aliases, places you like to frequent, favorite food. Not to mention, any hunter worth his salt knows about the Winchesters. And your car..."

"I'm not giving up my car," Dean says.

"I'm not saying you need to give it up. While it's easily recognizable, your car is safer then getting something new, when it comes down to it. There's no computer inside. Basically, you need to keep a low profile."

"OK, you've made us disappear. Why did we need to leave so fast?"

"I believe I can answer that," Castiel takes over the conversation, while Alex quietly excuses herself, slipping into the bathroom. "It is more than likely that if, as Alex believes, Darcey wished to turn you over to Zachariah, then she had some means of communicating with him. And it is all of our best interests to avoid him, at all costs."

"I'm still not giving up my car," Dean pouts under his breath.

********

Alex quietly steps away from the table, leaving the men and the angel in deep discussion. She grabs a few pieces of clothing and slips into the small bathroom. Damn, Darcey, she thinks to herself, turning the shower on. Maybe after a hot shower, she'd feel better and be able to think clearer. As the hot water steams up the bathroom, Alex finds herself relaxing, just a bit. The Winchesters were as safe from human hunters as she could make them, and she was free, for the time being, of having to worry about being found by the angels. Sure, there were a lot of things she'd have to deal with and take care of, but right now, things did not look as bad as they had a mere fifteen minutes ago.

Stepping out of the hot shower, throwing on a pair of jeans and a faded red T-shirt, Alex felt like a new person. Until she turns to the fogged up mirror, and notices the dark circles under her eyes in the fogged over glass. She sits down on the cold toilette, and lets the hot tears fall, wrapping her arms around herself, trying to silence the sobs that threaten to break out. She hated feeling weak. 


	14. Chapter 14

My apologies for taking so long on this chapter. And also for the language. There is just a bit more than normal, but it's nothing that you wouldn't here on the show. Enjoy!

xxxxxxxxxxx

"What are we going to do about the girls?" Dean asks his brother, taking a look in the small fridge. He knew there wouldn't be anything in there, but sometimes you just had to check.

"I don't really think that's up to us, Dean." Sam watches his brother pace across the small room. Castiel, in typical secretive angel fashion, had flown off. To look for angels, he told the brothers.

"And why don't you think it's up to us? They've pulled guns on us, it looks like the blond got a few punches in on you, and now because of them, we've got angels on our tails." Dean slams the refrigerator door, stomps over to the small table, and flops into a chair. "I say we ditch them, and get the hell out of here."

Sam shakes his head at Dean. His moods were becoming more and more erratic. Just a few hours ago, he was in over protective mode, sheltering Alex from what appeared to be a threat. Now he was ready to throw her to whatever was hunting them. "Dean, if nothing else, Alex did us a favor. We can't just 'ditch' her. Besides, she'd be able to find us pretty easily," Sam shrugs.

"Fine. What do you suggest, then? We take her with us? A tag-a-long? Or maybe drop her off at Bobby's?"

"Bobby may like to have a pretty nurse, but I doubt she'd go for it. I think she can take care of herself, if we get out of this. Besides, it'll be good to have another ally."

Dean stares at Sam. "Another ally? You mean someone else whose death will be our fault? Damn, Sammy, the best thing we can do for her is leave her here! Have Cas carve some symbols on her chest, and get the hell out of here."

"And what about Darcey? Would you do the same to her? She's going to be pissed when she wakes up."

Dean looks at his brother with cold, dead eyes. "As far as I'm concerned, we can stick her in a shallow grave."

"Dean, you're scaring me."

"I'm tired, Sammy." Dean heaves a sigh, turning his back on the room.

"And you don't think I am, too?" Sam watches his brother's back. Never, as far as he could remember, had Dean voiced such a ruthless opinion. Granted, if Darcey was going to turn them over to Zachariah and his minions, then it was a justified opinion, but until they knew for sure, he couldn't allow it. "What if I talk to her? Try to get some answers?"

Dean laughs at this. "No offense, Sammy, but the last time you talked to her, you ended up with a couple of guns pointed at you. I'll talk to her. You go check on Alex," he says, nodding his head toward the shut bathroom door.

Sam puts his hand out, stopping Dean's advance toward the now stirring Darcey. "Divide and conquer?" he asks, only to be met by Dean's nod. "Be nice," he says, turning for the bathroom door.

xxxxxxxxxxxx

Darcey lays quietly on the bed, listening to the hum of voices mere feet from her, the deep rumble of the angel and Dean Winchester, the slight drawl of Sam Winchester, and the faint murmur of Alex. The bitch.

Before Alex had knocked her out, Darcey had planned to use every ounce of her feminine wiles to keep them both safe. Now, when she got herself out of this mess, she'd be sure to throw Alex to the dogs. They had been best friends for 16 years, were closer than most sisters, and she had thrown her lot in with the Winchesters. So be it, Darcey thinks.

She listens as Alex excuses herself and hides in the bathroom, and as the brothers discuss her future. From the sounds of it, it wouldn't be a very long one. A shallow grave didn't sound too horrible. At least, then she could feel the rain. She may have told Sam she hated it, but that was just a line. Get it together! She thinks to herself. OK, she couldn't outsmart Sam, but she knew she could outsmart Dean. She just had to play the right cards, make him see things in a certain light. Show time.

With a small yawn, she rolls over, blinking her dark blue eyes at the brothers. "What happened?"

"Why don't you tell us?" Dean takes the few steps toward the bed. "I want some answers. From you."

Darcey looks at him as she pulls herself up to a sitting position, wincing at the sharp pain in her head. She looks down at her cuffed hands, and then stares up at Dean through lowered eyelashes. She could play the damsel in distress if need be. "Answers? To what?"

Dean pulls a chair over from the table and perches casually on it. "I think you know 'to what'. So stop pretending you don't know what is going on. I'll start with an easy one. Why did you and Sam get into a fight?"

"Lovers quarrel," Darcey lets out a sigh. "I caught him on the phone, right after...you know," she says with a shrug and a small smile. "I have a bit of a temper, and I thought he was talking to another woman, or bragging. Either way, it did not sit well with me." That sounded like a good story, Darcey thinks to herself. And really, she only had to keep the Winchesters occupied for the next hour or so. Curiosity always did kill the cat.

xxxxxxxxx

Sam knocks on the bathroom door. "Alex, are you alright? It's...er...been an hour."

Alex reaches up to the bathroom door, unlocking it. At some point, she knew she'd have to come out. But right now, she wasn't ready to face her friend. Opening the door, Sam walks into the tiny bathroom and sees the tears in Alex's eyes. He perches on the bathtub ledge, drawing a small laugh from Alex.

"You think this is funny?" Sam asks confused.

"I'm sorry. It's just, you look funny, all folded on the ledge." Alex stands up, drying her eyes with a tissue, then propping herself on the counter. Sam moves to sit on the toilette seat.

"Yeah, I guess I did," he says, running his hands through his hair. This whole situation was kind of funny, he and his brother locked up in a motel room with two women, who may or may not want to kill them, while angels may or may not be hunting them.

"Why are you helping us? The real answer, not the 'I knew your father' answer," Sam asks. Alex seemed like the kind of person that would like things straight forward. And Castiel trusted her. His trust went a long way with both Sam and Dean.

"The real reason? Until ten days ago, I'd never given much thought to angels. And since then, I've meet three. One of them tortured a man in front of me, one of them tortured me, and the other one saved my life. So why wouldn't I help the friends of the angel that saved me?"

"I guess that's as good a reason as any."

"Believe me; we had every intention of running away. You would have never heard of us, if Castiel hadn't overheard our conversation. But running from angels is an impossible task."

"Don't I know it."?

" We're going to end up dead anyway, why not make things a little miserable for the beings that are going to cause it?"

"You sound just like Dean," Sam says with a chuckle.

"You're not the first Winchester to tell me that," Alex answers with a smile.

"You know," Sam says, standing up, "at some point you're going to have to face your friend."

"I know, Sam. But I'm not ready. I think the best thing is for you and Dean to move on, get as far away from us as possible, and forget we ever met."

"Alex, like it or not, you're a part of this now. Distance between us may seem like a good idea, but it won't keep any of us safe."

"No, it won't. But it might give you and Dean a little more time. Besides, I'm a hunter. I know how my story ends. They same as all hunters' stories end."

Sam offers Alex his hand, helping her down off the counter. "Well, there is one flaw to your 'run away' plan. We don't have a car," he says, trying to lighten the mood.

"Since when has that stopped you?" Alex asks.

They are both startled by Dean's raised voice coming from the main room, followed by his furious form, whipping open the door.

xxxxxxxxxxx

Dean didn't want to believe Darcey, but it seemed like such an honest answer. He'd met his share of bat-shit crazy women before. Hell, he'd run from one or two of them in his time. So the thought of Sam finding one made him chuckle. But only just a little.

"OK, you attacked Sam because you're a jealous bitch. I can understand that. Now for a tougher one. Alex seems to think you were going to turn us in to Zachariah. Why would she think that?"

Darcey tilts her head, thinking. She may just come out of this alive. Oh, she'd miss Alex, but she was feeling beat up, and not just a little betrayed. Besides, Darcey knew where Alex had a large stash of money, and aliases. She could be on a plane to Costa Rica within a day or two.

"Is that what she told you?" Darcey blinks wide eyes at Dean. "Dean, I would never do such a thing. You are my husband's best friend's sons. I feel like I know you. I would never do anything to disappoint my husband, or his friends." Darcey sheds two small tears. She almost believed herself.

Shit, Dean thinks to himself. Two crying women, in one night. With two differing stories.

"Dean, is that what she told you?" Darcey asks, watching the confusion on Dean's face.

"No, Alex didn't tell me. At least, not in so many words."

"I have something to tell you. But I do not think you will like it." The tears weren't really fake. Darcey wasn't crying because she was in trouble or because she was turning on her friend. She had grown to love the life she was turning her back on. As much as she may complain, it was fun, and exciting, and now it was coming to an end.

"Then spit it out," Dean growls at her.

"This was not my idea. I wanted to run, but Alex wouldn't allow it. When she puts her mind to something, she cannot be swayed. And she fully believes that you and your brother are evil. I think she has always felt that way about you. So, when given the chance to hunt you, she took it."

"I don't believe you," Dean stares at her in disbelief.

"Think about! She can 'make you disappear?' Really? Using only a computer? I think not. I would not be surprised if she was contacting Zachariah with that very same computer. If angels can use cell phones, then why not email? Alex read and re-read those silly books; she knows you always fall for the vulnerable innocents. I bet she made up some story about being tortured, didn't she?"

Darcey watches as all kinds of emotions flash across Dean's face: disbelief, anger, hurt, rage. This was a fire storm she was glad to be a spectator of.

"Son of a bitch!" Dean yells, standing up and knocking over his chair. "You better hope to hell you are telling me the truth," he points his finger at Darcey, and then storms over to the bathroom door, nearly ripping it off the hinges


End file.
